COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA. — GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Saturday went after President Barack Obama, Iran, the Department of Education and activist judges in a couple of free-wheeling stops two days before the Iowa caucuses.

Gingrich’s New Year’s Eve events started at Tish’s Restaurant in Council Bluffs, where his comments were sharp and largely directed at what he sees as Obama’s failings.

Gingrich hammered the administration for failing to get behind a major western U.S. pipeline project, which he fears could shift to Canada with Chinese backing if it’s blocked here. Gingrich said the pipeline would create 20,000 jobs and help the United States build toward energy independence.

“Let me tell you how misguided Obama’s energy policy is,” Gingrich said. “It’s one thing if they can’t play chess, and another if they can’t play checkers. But it really worries you if they can’t play tick-tack-toe. They just don’t get it.”

Gingrich told the overflow crowd of 220 that he wants to repeal Obama’s health care plan. He wants the Department of Education turned into a research arm, leaving regulations to local governments.

He said the United States needs to keep a close eye on Iran — taking a shot at rival Ron Paul for worrying too little about that country’s potential nuclear capabilities. Iran has proven to be capable of terrorist acts going back to the American hostage crisis of the late ’70s, Gingrich warned.

He repeated his call for economic programs based on cutting taxes, encouraging more manufacturing and putting people to work.

“I want to stand for the poorest Americans so they can go to work and lift themselves up,” Gingrich said. “The president wants to attack the top, and that hurts everybody.”

His ire spilled over to Attorney General Eric Holder, and, as a class, activist judges.

“Judges have this enormously expanded view of themselves,” said Gingrich, who wants lawmakers, not judges, to make law.

Of Holder, he said: “He’s way to the left and fairly incompetent.”

In response to an audience member’s question, Gingrich blasted Holder and Obama’s administration for resisting conservatives’ call for voter identification cards to verify eligibility before casting a ballot.

“They are desperate to retain the ability to steal elections,” Gingrich said of Obama and his staff. “That’s what it comes down to. You have people who are elected fraudulently.”

Gingrich provided no example of an election skewed by unqualified people casting ballots.

The former U.S. House speaker said he’d like to overturn much of what Obama has done and called for a big turnout on Tuesday.

Gingrich began his candidacy with considerable name recognition and plenty of attention, then dropped to the bottom of the field as internal strife led his Iowa staff to quit. Later, he rose to lead some polls before falling again.

As many as half of those preparing to attend the Republican caucuses are still trying to make up their minds, Gingrich said, adding that he is the candidate best able to beat Obama.

“I would run a campaign of very wide choices” if nominated, Gingrich said. “He can’t hide,” he added of Obama.

“He is the best food stamp president in history; that’s a fact, it’s not going negative,” Gingrich continued. “I would like to be the best paycheck president in history.”

He hopes his message of cutting taxes, boosting manufacturing jobs and applying economic techniques he borrowed from President Ronald Reagan will bring people into his camp in the late going.

THE CANDIDATE’S DAY: Gingrich started at Tish’s Restaurant in Council Bluffs, then headed to Atlantic where he had lunch at Farmer’s Kitchen, which Gingrich declared serves the biggest slices of pie he’d ever seen. From there, his campaign bus pulled directly into the Atlantic Bottling Co. warehouse, where he spoke to about 100 employees and others surrounded by Coca-Cola products.

QUOTE: “We should praise and value the people who create jobs,” Gingrich told the Council Bluffs audience before ripping Obama for regulations he says have hurt the economy.

TODAY: Gingrich stops by West Towne Pub in Ames at noon before a 2 p.m. appearance at Junction Sports Bar & Grill in Marshalltown. He winds up at 4:30 at LJ’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill in Waterloo.